Automatic control for swinging doors



June 24, 1952 w. 0. FORD AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR SWINGING DOORS Filed Oct. 17, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR W de 0.19m;

BY ,MgW

ATTORNEY-3 June 24, 1952 w. 0. FORD AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR SWINGING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1950 IN VEN TOR ATTORNEYS w. 0. FORD 2,601,604

AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR SWINGING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR -Wa0k 0. Ibrd BY MWgwmm ATTORNEYS R WR Jl me 24, 1952 Filed Oct. 17, 1950 Patented June 24, 1952 OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL .FOR SWINGING DOORS Wade 0. Ford, San Angelo, Tex.

Application October '17, 1950. Serial No. 190,637

4 Gl ms- 1 This invention relates to a control device for swinging doors, and more particularly to a device for controlling such doors arranged in pairs as commonly arranged in connection with -.truck bodies.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved control device by means of which both doors are operated in unison so that the application of operating pressure to either door will simultaneously open or close both doors.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control device of the character indicated which will resiliently hold the doors in their full open position and thus prevent their accidentally blowing closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character indicated which will absorb the shock and bring the doors to a resiliently controlled stop at the extremity of their opening movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified mechanical construction for the device indicated by means of which its operative parts are compactly arranged, protected from injury and a minimum number of parts required.

Further objects will more particularly appear in the course of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Three sheets of drawings accompany this specification as part thereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device shown applied to two oppositely swinging doors;

Figure2 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 1, but showing the doors in their full open position;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken on line 3 }3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is atransverse cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings which disclose a practical and satisfactory embodiment of the present invention, the truck doors are indicated by the reference character D, and to associate the doors with the control device, brackets 38, herein illustrated as of angle iron cross section, are bolted to the doors, to which brackets 30 are pivoted as by bolts 32 the connecting arms 3 I.

A suitable framework and housing for the control device is provided by two sheet metal plates 2 l,, each of which plates is bent upwardly to form side walls 2-2, which side walls, are bent outwardly to provide securing flanges 3-3 by means of whichflanges 3-3 the entire housing is secured to the roof of the truck R by means of screws 1.

The two plates l-.[ are secured in parallel rela ion h by ans o a c s a e 4 a h o d nd of: the p s and b a. cross g e bar 5 a the ear end o t e pla s t a e eing se a a ed to r ide a ongi ud n l y xt din me a sl t i h c r v d s a i eway for a bolt 33 which associates the forward ends of the connecting rods 3l-3l, which are in turn connected to, the doors.

Qn the upper face of the plates I-l and guided by the, side walls 2-2 thereof, is a slidable abutment 8 to either end of which are secured forwardly extending arms 8 --9 preferably of angle cross section, the abutment 8 and arms 8-,8 constituting a U-shaped structure slidable between the side walls .2--2 and bridging the medial slot 6. The forward edge of the abutment 8 is notched as at [8 to at. least the width of the slot 6 for a purpose heroine after more particularly described. To the. forward ends of the arms 3 are welded at 4 3 the rear ends of forwardly extending bolts 10 which pass through and are guided by short cylindrical guide members H which are welded to. Short pieces of angle irons 48, as by welding 42 and these short angle irons are welded in the corner between the plates 1 and the side walls 2,, as by welding 4|, so as to provide proper alignment for the forwardly projecting bolts l8 which extend through these guiding tubes ll, being threaded on their forward ends, as at M, to provide seats for abutment nuts l3 between which nuts and the forward ends of the guide cylinders I l are positioned buffer springs I2. By reason of this arrangement of the abutment 8 it will be apparent that any shock on this abutment 8 in a rearward direction will act to compress the springs [2, which will be compressed by such a force.

Pivotally mounted on the abutment 8, as by rivet I6, is a latch plate l5 provided on its forward long edge with a marginal notch l1 complementary to the notch [8 in the abutment 8, and the plate I5 is pivoted at its corner diagonally opposite the pivot It by a pivot l9 to a toggle rod 20, which toggle rod is formed with a shoulder 2| adjacent the pivot 19, the rod passing through a guiding orifice 25 in the flange 23 of a short piece of angle iron 24 riveted or otherwise secured to one of the arms 9 associated with the abutment 8. A compression spring 22 is positioned on the toggle arm 20 intermediate the shoulder 2| and the flange 23, so as to provide a resilient control for the latch plate IS.

The bolt 33 which connects the forward ends of the connecting rods 3l--3I is associated with the plates l-l of the frame with the aid of washers 35 above and below said plates, the bolt 33 passing through the slot 5 between said plates and carrying adjacent its head a roller 34 of sufficient width to engage both the abutment 8 and the latch I5, and enter the notches l1 and I8 thereof.

In operation with the doors in closed position, as illustrated in Figure 1, it will be apparent that the opening of either door will be effective through the connecting rod 3| associated with that door to draw the connecting bolt 33 rearwardly through slot 6, thereby simultaneously forcing the connecting rod 3| associated with the other door rearwardly so that the opening of one door'will automatically and simultaneously open both doors. When the bolt 33 reaches the forward edge of the portion of notch 11 in latch plate I5, it will rock plate 15 against the resilient resistance of spring 22 to swing latch plate I5 into position illustrated in Figure 2, in which position it will be observed that roller 34 has entered the full depth of notch H3 in abutment B and is also positioned at the bottom of thenotch I! in latch l5, and that the latch I5 is held in this relationship to the abutment 8 by the effective pressure of spring 22 directed against shoulder 2| on toggle rod and the abutment flange 23, so that the doors are resiliently held in their full open position.

The application of closing pressure to either one of the doors will be effective to transmit thrust through that doors connecting rod 3| to bolt 33 and roller 34, which forward pressure will operate againstthe pressure of spring '22 to rotate latch 15 on its pivot. [6 until the bolt 33 and roller 34 have passed forwardly beyond and out of the notches, after .which the bolt .33 will ride freely in slot 6 to the forward end of that slot, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The particular form and size of the various mechanical elements utilized in the illustrated embodiment can obviously be modified and va- 'ried as desired in connection with particular applications of the invention and within the scope of-the following claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, i claim:

1. Door control device for oppositely swinging doors comprising, arms one pivoted by one end to one face of each door, the other ends of said arms pivotally connected and slidably associated with a frame fixed with respect to the doors, and a resiliently supported abutment carried by the frame for limiting the swinging movement of the doors, the resiliently supported abutment being formed with a rearwardly open notch to receive the pivotal connection between the arms as the doors approach full open position, with a latch pivotally mounted on the abutment and formed with a complementary notch and toggle means for throwing said latch with respect to the abutment as the doors are moved to or from the full open position.

2. Device of claim 1 with spring means biasing the toggle to hold the latch in the extreme positions of its pivotal movement.

3. Control device for oppositely swinging doors comprising arms each pivoted at one end to a face of a door, a pivot bolt connecting the opposite ends of said arms, a frame fixed with respect to the doors formed with a slot perpendicular to the doors in which the pivot bolt can slide, an abutment slidable on the frame in alignment with the slot and bridging same, resilient means limiting movement of the abutment and latch means associated with the abutment for latching the pivot bolt to the abutment when the doors are in open position.

4. Device of claim 3 in which the abutment is formed with a notch in alignment withthe slot of the frame, the latch is pivoted on the abutment and formed with a complementary notch, a toggle member pivoted to the latch, and resilient means operative on said toggle member to resiliently hold the latch member in its extreme positions.

WADE 0. FORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date Shields Dec. 2, 1930 

